Newsletter

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Issue 3August 2017

Hobart CollegeTA

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL

WHAT MATTERS MATTI?

Winter is an exciting time at Mt Nelson and I hope that you enjoy reading about all the events that are a part of college life and the many achievements of our talented staff and students! We have had a busy start to term 3 welcoming 20 new international students and hosting a study tour from our sister school in Fuzhou, China. The new Education Act came into effect on 10 July with implementation to be rolled out in stages over the rest of this year with support from the Education Department. Our initial focus is on updating our enrolment, attendance and behaviour management policies. We will also be holding a general meeting of our Hobart College Association to vote on the new model constitution by the end of this year.As we are now well over half way through the school year students should be focused on attaining qualifications for their future careers. Last year, 87% of our Year 12 students attained their Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) and we are aiming for over 90% in 2017. Home group teachers are talking regularly to students about their progress towards attaining the TCE and discussing strategies to ensure that students are on track to achieve their TCE by the end of year 12.Our other focus in Home Group from now on is assisting students with their pathway plans for 2018. Year 12 students are preparing for their transition to either further study or employment, and teachers are currently working with Year 11 students to help them make informed decisions about course selections for next year. Students will be enrolling in subjects in the next few weeks and they will be given a printout of those subjects to take home to discuss with you. I encourage you to talk to your son or daughter about their plans for next year and if you have any concerns you are welcome to make an appointment to speak to our Student Services counsellors. Best wishes to the staff and students going on our annual ski trip next week and I look forward to seeing you at our next Parent Teacher Evening on Thursday 31 August. Tracy Siedler

Principal

Congratulations to Matti Schwarz (above with Elise Archer MP) for taking out the Year 11/12 category of the ‘What Matters? Tasmania 2017’ writing competition. Run by the DoE in conjunction with The Whitlam Institute, Matti wrote about the importance of our connection with the natural world. He was presented with his award, a cheque for $350 and a trip to Sydney to participate in the Young Writers Forum, on 31 July by the Director of The Whitlam Institute, Eric Sidoti. Matti also received an Honourable Mention in the Future Leaders Writing Prize and his work will be published in their annual publication next year.

CHILDREN’S PLAY & LEARN SESSIONS

What: Playgroup Sessions with the Working With Children class When: Friday mornings 9 – 10.30 8, 15, 22 and 29 SeptemberWho: All children from birth to 5 years are welcome to attend.Contact: sheryl.scott@education.tas.gov.au forfurtherdetails

PLAYGROUP AT HOBART COLLEGE

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TASTE OF COLLEGE DAYThe annual Hobart College ‘Taste of College Day’ was held again this year and 600 Grade 10 students from Dover District School, Huonville High School, Kingston High School, Taroona High School and Woodbridge School, plus a wide range of other government and non-government schools attended. The frosty winter day began with a warm welcome by the Principal, Tracy Siedler, followed by a Home Group session which included a tour of the school, hot chocolate and biscuits. Students spent the rest of the day trialling four potential subjects for 2018. Popular choices were Photography, Psychology, Glass making, Sport and Foods. Lunchtime was a lively event with a free BBQ and an ‘Open Mic’ session where some brave students performed quality musical items for the enthusiastic crowd. The gym was a bustling hive of sporting activities of rock-climbing, table tennis and basketball. The day concluded with a farewell in the theatre as students watched a rolling stream of photos of themselves doing various activities throughout their day. Participating students were positive about the vibrant atmosphere created by such an enthusiastic and friendly team of Hobart College staff.

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POETRY COMPETITION

AUSTLIT FEST

Poetry Competition winners: Angela Storey & Rosie Thomas

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s campus-wide Poetry Competition, Rosie Thomas – overall winner; Angela Storey – runner up; Kimberley Brockman, T.J. Booth and Thea Schuele – Honourable Mentions. We received a small but quality selection of carefully crafted poems from which we chose ten to represent the College in the annual Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards. In choosing Rosie’s poem, “Fallen Leaves”, as this year’s winner, the judge, Ellen Rees, commented, “Rosie has managed to convey not only the beauty of Autumn but also a vivid portrait of the child’s joy”. Congratulations to all poets for their impressive contributions. We will be displaying the ten short-listed poems in the foyer of D block in August.

Fallen Leavesshe splashesin the chaos of amber and goldcaught captive by the currenta tiny figuredelightedby the coppery crackleunder her toesshe soaksin the crunching coloura euphoric dancerbeneath the reckless skyunder bare black branchestheir blanket is her rivereager with exuberanceshe is a tiny warriorof joy,kicking, stamping, fallinglaughing among the leavesso youngand effervescentin the dimming light.

Rosie Thomas

CUTTING EDGE CONFERENCETeachers from the English Department attended the Australian Association of Teachers of English Conference ‘Cutting Edge: Margin to Mainstream’ held in Hobart this year at Wrest Point from 6 – 9 July. There were 1100 delegates and international speakers included Adam Lefstein (Israel), Elizabeth Birr Moje, Cris Tovani, Steven Layne, Linda Hoyt and Troy Hicks (USA). Hobart College teachers, Lachlan Hine and Ellen Rees partnered with Elizabeth College teacher, Matt Preston (L to R below) to present a very well-received workshop on Dystopian Fiction.

On Tuesday, 4 July three classes of pre-tertiary English were fortunate to be part of AustLit Fest, a literary festival organised and supported by the Copyright Agency. Tasmanian poet and playwright, Cameron Hindrum, Tasmanian writer and UTAS lecturer in Creative Writing, Danielle Wood and Alice Pung, novelist and lawyer from Melbourne, answered questions about their work. The three writers provided insights into their careers: what lead them to become writers, their daily routines as well as sharing the titles of texts they believed that students would enjoy. Each writer gave an individual session to classes of English 3 and English Writing.

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DEBATING CHAMPIONS

After a fantastic season of debating, Hobart College 2 took out the Grand Final of the Tasmanian Debating Union’s Colleges Competition on August 2 by defeating The Friends School 4. The team of Finlay McKeown at first, Matti Schwarz at second, Dylan Seckold-Bamford at third and Olive Walker at fourth (Mae Woodruff and Ariane Easton were also members of the full team), argued against the proposition “That we should not engage in diplomacy with dictatorships”. The panel of judges awarded the debate to Hobart College on the basis of their fine rhetorical style and “the sheer weight of evidence they presented”. Congratulations, too, to Hobart College 1, who had also defeated the Friends team earlier in the year, on an excellent season. In the July break, debaters also participated in Youth Parliament, bringing together Years 10, 11 and 12 students from all over Tasmania to debate a series of motions on the floor of Parliament House. Dylan was elected Premier and Finlay, Leader of the Opposition, with Mae and Matti holding the floor on a number of occasions.

A number of Level 3 subjects include an externally assessed folio that gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and understanding via extended and carefully crafted pieces of work, rather than under the pressure of timed exam conditions. The folio may be a collection of their best work, an Independent Study on a set topic, a display of work or a group project depending on the subject requirements. Teachers of folio subjects have informed students of the folio requirements and these are also available on the TASC website https://www.tasc.tas.gov.au/. They have also been informed of the need to reference appropriately so that they do not commit an act of plagiarism.Since teachers must authenticate the work as the students’ own by sighting it in progress on three occasions, it is important that students meet the drafting deadlines as outlined by their teachers. Submission to TASC must be made by the teacher to meet strict deadlines. Extensions for folios can only be given by TASC and a medical certificate is required. The request for extension must be made before the advertised deadline.It is very important that folios are completed to the best of a student’s ability as the marks directly affect their final award. Although some of the work will be completed during class hours, there is generally a significant homework component which means that students must organise their time effectively, particularly if they have more than one folio-assessed subject. For more information, including due dates go to https://www.tasc.tas.gov.au/students/exams/key-dates/

EXTERNALLY ASSESSED FOLIOS

CAREERS EXPOThe Careers Expo held on 2 August during Home Group brought together over thirty eight training, education and careers providers to showcase a wide range of options for students’ future pathways. From the University of Tasmania and TasTAFE to the ADF and the Police Academy, students could ask presenters specific questions about their career prospects and further education opportunities. The Careers Expo is one of the important Pathway Planning activities that take place during Home Group. In the coming weeks Year 11 students will be making decisions about their subjects for next year and Year 12 students will be exploring enrolment into tertiary or vocational training institutions.

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MUSIC NEWS

Above: The Hobart College string ensemble performed at St George’s Church, Battery Point. Pictured L to R: Katrina Wong, Gareth Duddles, Laura DiVirgilio, Siobhan Duhig, Emily Evans, Petra Watkins and Molly Maidment.Below: Festival of Voices PopUp performance at Henry Jones Art Hotel.

Above: Hobart College contemporary music students presented Olinda Groove Records Showcase at Youth Arc on 27 July.

Below: Combined Colleges Choir in rehearsal for Festival of Voices in July.

Hobart college classical music student, Emily Evans (above), was selected to participate in the prestigious ACO Academy that took place in Sydney from 9 to 14 July. Students were selected from all over Australia via an extremely competitive YouTube audition process, and came together for an intensive week of rehearsals with the world-class musicians of the ACO. They prepared for a chamber music concert on 13 July, followed by a special chamber orchestra concert performing alongside their ACO mentors and led by ACO violinist, Aiko Goto, at City Recital Hall. The students also sat in on career sessions with ACO musicians and members of the ACO staff to learn about career paths, how to prepare for auditions, and what goes on behind the scenes at an organisation like the ACO.

27 AugTime TBA

Hot August Jazz (House Band)

1 Sept (3 shows)11am, 1pm & 7pm

UTAS Wind Ensemble @ Conservatorium of Music

12 SeptTime TBA

End of Year Music Concert @ Mt Nelson Theatre

14 SeptTime TBA

Olinda Groove Records Showcase @ Mt Nelson Theatre

27 Sept6:30pm-8:30pm

Classical recital @ St George’s Church Battery Point

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES FOR TERM 3

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2017 MUSICAL GALA OPENING - BRING IT ON

Above: Finn Clarke, Frank Bansell and Tracy Siedler.

Below: Georgia Bradshaw, Adelaide Touber, Angela Barnard, Haylee Townsend and Maggie James.

Above: Jack Lark and Rowan Harris

Below: Old Hobartians, Margaret Keogh, Rosie Laver and waiter, Zac Pullen.

The gala opening performance of Bring It On on 1 June was attended by a large number of invited guests. Director, Rowan Harris assembled a highly accomplished cast for this year’s run with 34 students on stage and many more involved behind the scenes. Lauren Davidson took the lead role of Campbell with nemesis, Eva, played by Georgia Kokkoris and rival turned friend, Danielle, played by Marni Edmonds. A fantastic orchestra of 24 current, former and soon-to-be students was ably led by Lachlan Court, with Dance teacher, Angela Barnard and ex-student, Adelaide Touber, in charge of Choreography. Ex-student, Jack Lark, took on the demanding role of overseeing production. Invited guests commented on the dynamism of the stunts, polished vocal performances and the sheer entertainment of the show.

DRILL DANCE PERFORMANCETwo Hobart College students, Shaniah Weir and Ruby Flack have been working with Hobart’s youth dance company, DRILL, this year on their production of Cold Omens. Performances of the show, choreographed in collaboration with the young dancers, are taking place in the SeaRoads Shed at Macquarie Point from 17 – 19 August. The Hobart College Dance class will also be performing on the 19th to celebrate DRILL’s 10th Birthday.

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The annual statewide Alliance Française competition for students of French sees students from both public and private schools compete to find the top candidates across a number of different language skills. In Years 11 and 12 candidates are examined in 3 sections: conversation, listening comprehension and poetry recital. The competition has two sections: the main section is for first time year 11 and 12 students whereas the Hors Concours section is for students who have either spent a prolonged period of time in France or who may speak French at home or who have already achieved an EA award in Level 3 French. Our Hobart College students performed wonderfully. Their results are as follows:Listening Comprehension Level 3: 2nd Place – Luke Pearce, Honorable Mentions – Annabelle Hansen, Eloise Day, Lauren Davidson, Claudia Chu, Violeta Castaneda Harper.Poetry Recital Level 3: 2nd Place – Luke Pearce, Honorable Mention – Annabelle Hansen Poetry Recital Level 2: Honorable Mention – Maddison CockerConversation Level 3: Honorable Mention – Luke Pearce. Conversation Level 2: 3rd Place – Maddison Cocker.

STUDYING LANGUAGES AT LEVEL 3 GIVES YOU UTAS BONUS POINTS

LANGUAGES AT HOBART COLLEGE

Eloise Day, Violeta Castaneda Harper, Luke Pearce and Annabelle Hansen.

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Nicki: I chose to study Japanese because I am interested in the culture and enjoy the challenge of learning a new language.Kate: I chose to study a language at Hobart College because I would love to travel around the world and knowing another language makes it that little bit easier. Studying German 3 this year has improved my grammar and vocabulary dramatically.Hannah: Learning a language expands your possibilities and opens new doors into a new culture and way of life. Another language enables you to connect with people that might have otherwise been lost to you!Annabelle: I’m studying Italian for a number of reasons, including to gain a better understanding of the Italian culture, to have the option of future travel and because learning a language, any language, increases your understanding of your own language and is a great opportunity to extend yourself.Lauren: Languages broaden anyone’s horizons. Be it your work, travel or simply to fire up both sides of your brain! It’s a really special gift to be able to talk in more than one language and you can also impress groups of people when you ‘whip’ out a foreign phrase. I love it!!Violeta: I decided to take French because I was interested in travelling to France and because I found French culture fascinating. My interest in romance languages and the pleasing rhythm and sound of the languages also influenced my decision to study this subject.Inala: I study Chinese to make it easy for me to travel to that country.Annabel: I’m studying French because I think it will be useful when travelling during my GAP year and also for future employment. I also think it’s a beautiful language and I enjoy studying it.Asa : I challenge myself to achieve fluency in a foreign language. I’d like to live in Japan for a time to experience the culture, people and beautiful landscape. Olivia: I have chosen to study both French and Japanese at college because I understand its importance and relevance in life both in and outside school; and I love the idea of broadening communication in the world.

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INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES

Welcome to all the new international students who joined us at the start of Term 3. We have ten students from Canton de Vaud in Switzerland, three students on short term exchange from France, Belgium and Sweden and another six students from Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. We look forward to getting to know you all! We also welcomed the annual delegation from our sister-school in China, Fuzhou No 8 Middle School, who enjoyed a five day cultural tour of Hobart and our campus. The eighteen students from the Fuzhou district and 7 staff enjoyed participating in classes and visiting Richmond, Bonorong Park and Mt Wellington.

YOUNG ARCHIES

Holly Clark-Milligan (right) Riley Pitchford, Anika Piket and Iris Blazely were all finalists in this year’s The Young Archies Portrait Prize. Well done to Iris Blazely (above with Wayne Brookes and Romany Best) for being highly commended in the Years 11 – 12 section of the competition for 2017 with her painting, %75 of me. The Young Archies exhibition was opened on 6 August and will continue at the UTAS School of Creative Arts in Hunter Street for the following two weeks.

RAINBOW DAY

17 May was International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and Hobart College celebrated with rainbows, a lunchtime concert and a “hand-printed rainbow banner” expressing our community’s commitment to equality, affirmation of diversity and provision of a safe and welcoming space for everyone. With their usual flair, the Library staff fully embraced the day.

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SUSTAINABILITY 6 STAR GREEN RATING

On 21 June, Hobart College was proud to host the unveiling of the 6 Star Green Rating Certificate for the Sustainability Learning Centre. Designed by Morrison and Breytenbach Architects and constructed by Vos, the centre was built from 98% salvaged materials. It was constructed to be easily disassembled and is as energy efficient as possible in its use of renewable and natural resources. The occasion was hosted by Dylan Seckold-Bamford and Rosie Thomas and SET members, Ruby Flack, Jesse Holden and Ezekiel Willmott spoke passionately about sustainability in education. In her address, Tracy Siedler highlighted the “daily delivery of high quality learning programs to students of all ages” by Manager, Jenny Dudgeon. Guests enjoyed refreshments prepared by the Certificate II in Hospitality students and musical entertainment by Hobart College students.

SET presenters: Ruby Flack, Jesse Holden and Ezekiel Willmott.

FAIR GO FOR SWIFTIES WORKSHOP

Catering Team: Corie Spurr, Georgia Thompson, Grace Scott and Connor Irvine.

Jonathon Duddles, Greening Australia, student MCs, Rosie Thomas and Dylan Seckold-Bamford, and Matthew Groom.

Matthew Groom, Jeremy Rockliff, Jenny Dudgeon and Tracy Siedler.

On World Environment Day, Sunday, 4 June, over 70 people attended the Fair Go For Swifties workshop at the SLC. Attendees were drawn from very diverse backgrounds: local government, Hobart College staff, the Mercury, UTAS, environment groups and families. SET team members were terrific ambassadors for Hobart College: Ruby Flack and Jesse Holden acted as MCs and Aidan Sullivan, Seb Zucker and Mika Rosebrock spoke about their roles in the project to protect Swift Parrot extinction. Aidan gave a very comprehensive demonstration of the FGFS website/data base that he and Sam Howell have built, while Seb showed his motorised door closure.

12AN INSPIRED AUSTRALIANYear 12 Chemistry student, Ben Boglio was awarded an Inspiring Australia Science Engagement Program Sponsorship Grant which enabled him to attend the Halogen Bonding in Supramolecular and Solid State Chemistry Conference. He travelled to Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa. The conference was held, at the University of Ottawa.There were 49 delegates from 31 universities and 10 institutions, from 14 different countries. Ben felt that although the research discussed was highly specialised and at an advanced level, beyond his current level of understanding, he was able to benefit from the event by gaining an understanding of the

DONATE LIFE WEEKThe library display to support Donate Life Week featured an “organ display”, answers to FAQs relating to organ and tissue donation and a mailing box for students to drop their completed donor forms. Many students and teachers will be registered as organ and tissue donors due to the awareness campaign that included a pancake breakfast in the student lounge which was attended by Clare Collins from Donate Life Tasmania, a Health Studies display in D block and discussions and merchandise giveaways.

VIRTUAL REALITY

Teachers are embracing the future at Hobart College through Virtual Reality experiences in many of our classes! From teaching the concept of Fear in the Level 3 Sociology class, flying past the Eiffel Tower and Pyramids in VET Tourism and team building and communication experiences in Work Readiness, Virtual Reality is engaging students and teaching important concepts and skills. The Maths team have also come on board with a Computer Graphics student, James Burgess, developing a VR experience in Unity to allow the visualisation of Trigonometric problems. The student body will also have the opportunity to hire the VR equipment during lunch times as part of an enterprise project that the Work Readiness students are undertaking this term. In Psychology, the classes have been looking at how we learn and have been discussing innate and learned fears. Basically, there are only two fears that we are born with, falling and loud noise. The students had to ‘walk the plank’ in a virtual reality simulator and try to overcome their natural fear of heights. We looked at whether our brain (cognition) could rationalise our innate fear of falling. Most students could convince themselves to ‘jump’ but some struggled. It also got easier as they observed others doing it which taught them the power of observational learning.

functioning of highly specialised research in chemistry which is of great interest to him for further studies. Ben declared that the highlight of the trip was experiencing the Canadian university campus and talking with people from McGill University in Montreal which is one of the universities to which he is interested in applying.

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HOME GROUP – ENRICHMENT FUN

HOME GROUP – TALENT QUEST

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VET SPORT & RECREATION STUDENTS RIDE THEIR WAY TO FITNESSIn the last week of Term 2, Avril Baily, former Hobart College student and now Gym Manager of Zap Fitness, Kingston, invited the VET Sport and Recreation students to experience her gym. They worked up a sweat in a Cycling class led by Lindsay Foley-Donoghue, also an ex- HC student who works at Zap as a personal trainer.

Avril gave students an invaluable insight into her role as gym manager in an industry which many of the students are aspiring to enter. Students are welcome to speak to Avril or Lindsay at Zap Fitness, Kingston, if they would like to find out more about working in the fitness industry.

NAIDOC WEEKThe Hobart College Sustainability Learning Centre (SLC) hosted 300 early years students from Kingston, Rokeby, Austins Ferry and Lansdowne Primary schools during NAIDOC week. They were involved in the Our Languages Matter program led by six Aboriginal Sharers of Knowledge, and students participated in a range of activities. Aboriginal students from Hobart College and students from the Student Environment Team (SET) were on hand to provide support.

FOOTBALL FEDERATION TAS VISITS HOBART COLLEGEOn 3 August, Ben Horgan delivered the Mini Roos Coaching Course to Vet Sport and Recreation students. Students improved their general sports coaching skills and learnt some great ways to make training sessions fun and engaging for young players. Many of the students are actively involved in community coaching and these programs are used to gain new ideas to make their sessions even better for the players. Thank you Ben for giving up your time and sharing your expertise! Josie Gargioni Mini Roos Coaching Co-ordinator, Ben Horgan, at left with VET Sport and Recreation Class.

Olinda Grove MOUNT NELSON Tasmania 7007GPO Box 1188 HOBART Tasmania 7001Telephone (03) 6220 3133Facsimile (03) 6220 3140Email: hobart.college@education.tas.gov.auWebsite:

HOBART COLLEGE

IMPORTANT DATES TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR

Aug 20 - 25 Ski Trip to Mt HothamAug 31 Parent - Teacher evening 4.00 - 7.00pmSept 6 & 13 Hobart College enrolment for Year 11sSept 1 Moderation day for teachers. Student study-at-home daySept 29 Term 3 endsOct 16 Term 4 begins

http://hobartcollege.education.tas.edu.au

FREE MENINGOCOCCAL W VACCINATION PROGRAM FOR YEARS 10, 11 AND 12

The Tasmanian Government is funding a free meningococcal W vaccine for teenagers aged 15-19 years. The program will commence during term three 2017 and run until 30 April 2018 and will be delivered at Hobart College on Wednesday 6 September and Thursday 7 September. The vaccine provides protection against four strains of meningococcal disease (ACWY) and is given as a single dose.

Meningococcal disease is a rare but severe bacterial infection that can cause lifelong disability or death and can affect people at any age. Meningococcal bacteria are carried in the nose and throat of some healthy people and are spread through close prolonged contact. The bacteria are more commonly found in teenagers and young adults. Adolescents are at increased risk of meningococcal disease. Meningococcal W has increased significantly across Australia from 2014 onwards. In Tasmania, cases more than tripled in 2016 compared with previous years. Tasmania has a higher rate of meningococcal W disease than other states.

Meningococcal W is now the most common meningococcal strain in Tasmania.You will receive further information and a consent form with the term reports. Please complete the consent form and return to the College office by Thursday 31 August.To learn more about meningococcal disease and the meningococcal W Vaccination Program, visit: www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/menw